1
as in terrifying
causing fear
a formidable, irascible old man who frightened the neighborhood children
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
running a marathon is a formidable undertaking
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Recent Examples of formidable
Burstein’s Herbie is loveable and warm, but also fierce enough to spar with McDonald’s formidable Rose.
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Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 20 Dec. 2024
Emily Watson, who plays a formidable nun, won the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Actress at the festival.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 20 Dec. 2024
Related This year, the 34-year-old further cemented his formidable impact in the music industry.
—Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 19 Dec. 2024
To say there was some formidable competition amongst TVLine’s 2024 crop of contenders for Performer of the Year is an understatement.
—Eric Goldman, TVLine, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for formidable 
Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 20 Dec. 2024
Emily Watson, who plays a formidable nun, won the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Actress at the festival.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 20 Dec. 2024
Related This year, the 34-year-old further cemented his formidable impact in the music industry.
—Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 19 Dec. 2024
To say there was some formidable competition amongst TVLine’s 2024 crop of contenders for Performer of the Year is an understatement.
—Eric Goldman, TVLine, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for formidable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for formidable
Adjective
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In the early hours of New Year's Day 2021 in Canton, Georgia, Morgan Metzer was awakened to a terrifying sight.Michael Loftus, CBS News, 13 Dec. 2024
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The paranormal phenomena spooking Spongebob and Squidward has a mundane explanation, but the entity flickering the lights turns out to be none other than Nosferatu, who reassures them with a terrifying smile; amusingly, Spongebob and Squidward are relieved to see him.Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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An at least 200-year-old celebration of French and Mediterranean cuisine, macarons are renowned as the ‘impossible dessert,’ a result of the notoriously involved and difficult baking process.Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024
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After racking up more than $10 billion of losses over the last half-decade, 2024 was the year Disney finally started making money from its digital platforms, turning the corner in what’s been an exceedingly difficult effort to reinvent itself for the Netflix era.Josef Adalian, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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In the dark winter months, Krampus associations in villages hold parades, playfully frightening onlookers on Krampusnacht by chasing them and hitting them with sticks during a run through the streets.Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2024
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Or maybe the next gen of AI swerves us even deeper into the uncanny valley in yet unknown and frightening ways.Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 18 Dec. 2024
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The agreement comes amid a challenging period for traditional department stores, which face mounting pressure from discount chains like Walmart, fast-fashion players and e-commerce companies like Amazon.Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
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However, achieving consistent scoring across different runs can be challenging.Lukas Petersson, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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But his warnings of fines were indeed rather scary.Virginia La Torre Jeker, J.D., Forbes, 25 Dec. 2024
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And yet what this Dracula radiates — the scariest thing about him — is greater than any of that totalizing power.Wesley Morris, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2024
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Carro, known for his tough stance on crime and his experience with cases involving terrorism enhancements, will play a key role in shaping the trial's proceedings.Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
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Doctor and hospital groups, though, argue Florida physicians face a tough environment with their already high malpractice insurance premiums.Skyler Swisher, Orlando Sentinel, 23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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That would be a terrible mistake, the Fienberg brothers argued in a Dec. 17 letter that addressed only Bowers’s federal death sentence.David Mark, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 22 Dec. 2024
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Leaving wet clothes in the washing machine for too long can lead to mold and mildew, which could permanently stain your clothes—and lead to terrible smells.Heather Bien, Southern Living, 21 Dec. 2024
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Pioneering a Transparent, Equitable Future for Peer Review and Publishing of Scholarly Work For decades, the peer review process in academic publishing has been considered the benchmark—ensuring that only the most rigorous research makes its way into the world.Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 25 Dec. 2024
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Every mortgage review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of home loan products.Kelsey Neubauer, CNBC, 24 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near formidable
Cite this Entry
“Formidable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formidable. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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